Tesco mince pie buyer Ben Simpson added: “Mince pies are one of those Christmas treats that people start buying as soon a they go on sale. This week we are expecting to sell half a million packets.

“All of our discount branded products are targeted at all customers who want to enjoy the festive period with minimum impact on the weekly budget.”

Here’s our mums’ verdict on those mince pies guaranteed to bring some festive cheer into your home and those they won’t be putting out for Santa this year.

* SAINSBURY’S - 6 Deep Filled Mince PiesCost: £1.19

FIRST GLANCE: With a mite more care, these could have scored more highly in the appearance stakes. Instead, despite a beautifully domed top promising plenty of filling, they were a little too well-baked in parts and on the pale side in others.

THE VERDICT: Our mums found these incredibly difficult to eat with no mess as they were so crumbly. “The pastry tastes great. It’s very buttery and not at all sticky. The downside is, they collapse as soon as you try to get them out of the foil.” “They’re incredibly difficult to eat with a baby in one arm!” “The filling is lovely. It’s tastes as if it’s got lots of raisins and sultanas in it.”

* 6 Sainsbury’s basics Mince PiesCost: 59p

FIRST GLANCE: A good effort from an appearance point of view, these were a nicely-cooked golden colour with a generous sprinkling of sugar. There was even a bit of topping oozing temptingly out from a couple.

THE VERDICT: Working out at less than 10p a mince pie, these scored highly with our mums. “They’re obviously not as substantial as the deep-filled mince pies but they’re terrific value for money.” “The pastry is nice and not too crumbly.” “You could buy these for your kids as they taste pretty good but they won’t fill them up so much.”

* ALDI - 6 Deep Filled Holly Lane Mince PiesCost: 89p

FIRST GLANCE: A bit of a let-down appearance-wise, these were a slightly-grubby colour and lacked uniformity. “They look as if they’ve been thrown together a bit too quickly.”

THE VERDICT: What they lost in appearance, however, they made up for in taste. “There’s plenty of mincemeat and it’s got quite a nice, tangy taste to it.” “The pastry is lovely and moist. I think I could pass these off as home-made!”

* BEST BUY

* TESCO - 6 Deep Filled Mince piesCost: £1.19

FIRST GLANCE: Top marks for appearance, these golden brown mince pies, with a simple star and dusting of sugar on top, looked fantastic and our mums simply couldn’t wait to sink their teeth into them. “They look yummy – as if they’ve just come out of the oven.”

THE VERDICT: A unanimous thumbs-up! Our mums didn’t have a bad word to say about them. “There’s lots of filling with plenty of raisins in.” “The pastry is nice and buttery. It melts in your mouth.” “This is a really substantial mice pie. It fills your mouth and leaves you feeling satisfied.” “Now that’s a mince pie!”

* 6 TESCO value Mince PiesCost: 53p

FIRST GLANCE: Yuk! These looked the least appetising of the value bunch by a long chalk. Over-crinkled on top and totally anaemic, they got off to a bad start with our mums. “They look as if they’ve hardly been baked. You certainly wouldn’t think they were home-made!”

THE VERDICT: And they didn’t fare much better taste-wise, with our mums criticising the rather dry pastry and the less-than-appetising filling. “There’s an unpleasant aftertaste to the mincemeat which is far too runny with virtually no fruit in it.”

* ASDA - 6 Rich Fruit Mince PiesCost: 85p

FIRST GLANCE: With no visible sprinkling of sugar on top, these looked a bit bald, but apart from that they scored highly with our mums appearance-wise. “The colour’s spot on. They’re a lovely golden brown and a nice, uniform shape. I’d happily put these on the table.”

THE VERDICT: And our mums weren’t disappointed when they took a bite. “The pastry has got a lovely buttery pastry like shortbread.” “There’s plenty of mincemeat and it’s pretty tasty. These aren’t my favourite but they come close.”

* 6 ASDA Smartprice Mince PiesCost: 53p

FIRST GLANCE: Simple but well-made and a nicely-judged golden colour on the top, these looked reasonably tempting.

THE VERDICT: Disappointing. The lack of filling in these was accentuated by the rather heavy, sticky pastry. “I feels as if all I am eating is pastry, expect for a miniscule amount of filling and I don’t like that very much. It tastes a bit vinegary.” “These are rather dry and not very enjoyable.”

* CO-OP - 6 Deep Filled Mince PiesCost: 1.09

FIRST GLANCE: These scored highly in terms of colour, shape and appearance with our mums. “These look rather classy and expensive. They look very tasty and there’s certainly plenty to get your teeth into.”

THE VERDICT: And our mums were equally impressed when they took a bite. “There’s plenty of filling. My only criticism is that the pastry’s a bit doughy.” “I love the filling. It’s got lots of fruit in it. This isn’t a bad mince pie.”

* MORRISONS - 6 Deep Filled Mince PiesCost: £1.19

FIRST GLANCE: A little over-cooked in places, these nevertheless scored highly on appearance. “They’re not a bad colour and the sprig of holly on top is a nice design. They look well worth a try.”

THE VERDICT: Despite having plenty of filling, it was the pastry which dominated our mums’ comments. “I can’t make up my mind if there’s too much pastry or if the pastry itself is just a bit sticky.” “The filling is ok but the mince pie clings to the roof of your mouth.” “I was rather disappointed as I thought they looked much better than they tasted.”

* 6 Morrisons Value Mince PiesCost: 65p

FIRST GLANCE: The lack of uniformity suggested these were budget buys but nevertheless they looked pretty tasty, with a visible sprinkling of sugar on top.

THE VERDICT: Our mums were impressed by the quality of the pastry but the paucity of filling was a disappointment. “I actually think the pastry in these is much better than in Morrisons’ Deep-Filled mince pies. It’s nice and buttery. It’s just a shame there’s virtually nothing else in there.”